Lag Ba'Omer: the Holiday of fire. What are we celebrating?
This Wednesday night people all over Israel will gather around huge bonfires all over the country to sing songs, roast marshmallows and dispose of any scraps of wood in their possession. What's going on here? The festival of Lag Ba'Omer!
Most children in Israel would agree that this is one of their favorite holidays, since they get the opportunity to pile up wooden crates and planks, and old tables and chairs and set them on fire. But there lies of course a reason behind the revelry. In the second century of the common era lived Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the first Rabbi to publicly teach the mystical dimension of the Torah known as Kabbalah. He is considered the author of classic text of Kabbalah, the Zohar. On the day he died, he instructed his disciples to mark the date as a day of joy.
Lag Ba'Omer also commemorates another joyous event. The Talmud relates that in the weeks between the Jewish holidays Passover and Shavuot, a plague raged among the disciples of Rabbi Akiva (teacher of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai). The weeks leading up to the festival are therefore observed as a period of mourning. On Lag Ba'Omer the deaths ceased. Thus, in modern times the holiday has come to symbolize the resilience of the Jewish spirit. How is Lag BaOmer Celebrated:
Since this is the day of joy of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, there are major festivities in Meron, the mountain village in northern Israel where he is buried, with tens of thousands of pilgrims pouring in from all corners of the world to rejoice together in unity.
Recognizing the fiery spirit of the mystical teachings that are celebrated today, bonfires are kindled. Get some friends (and a guitar) together, and it becomes a wonderful opportunity for singing, sharing and enjoying each other’s company.
All over the world, it is customary to spend the day outside, enjoying the natural beauty of G‑d’s world. During these outings, it is customary to play with bows and arrows. This symbolizes the mystical dimension of the Torah; the more we pull in it closer to ourselves, the more holy potential it unleashes, just as the closer you pull the arrow into your body, the farther it will go.
Enjoy the festivities!! Lag BaOmer Sameach
